Rubio affirms U.S. support for Israel’s vision of military victory in Gaza

Amna Nawaz:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is flying to Doha tonight to meet with Qatar's leaders following unprecedented Israeli strikes targeting Hamas leaders last week. Earlier today, Rubio met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

And, as Nick Schifrin reports, the two presented a unified front.

Nick Schifrin:

In Jerusalem, a show of solidarity and support to end the war in Gaza using the military, not diplomacy.

Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State: I think we have to be prepared for the fact that savage terrorists don't normally agree to things like that. But we will continue to pursue that route. It's the ideal outcome, but it may require ultimately a concise military operation to eliminate them.

Nick Schifrin:

The Israeli military today again targeted Gaza's city high-rises that it calls Hamas terrorist infrastructure and confirmed it launched the formal effort to capture Gaza's most populated city.

The new offensive is uprooting hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who were already displaced. Yesterday, Bassel Al-Za'anin fled Israeli bombings. Today, he's been on the road for 12 hours with his daughter.

Bassel Al-Za’Anin, Displaced Gazan (through interpreter):

All night, she screams on my lap because she is terrified. Open the road for us. Let us have our camps. Give us food or water, anything. Empathize for these children who have been thrown to the streets.

Nick Schifrin:

The only way to avoid an urban battle in Gaza City is a complete Hamas surrender, Prime Minister Netanyahu said today.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister:

If they surrender, lay down their arms, then you can do the rest without battle. And at any point, if you can do something without battle, it's better.

Nick Schifrin:

But that is highly unlikely, suggesting little chance for a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, especially after Israel's strikes last Tuesday in Qatar, targeting Hamas' chief negotiators in the country that had been the mediators.

Today, in the capital, Doha, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad hosted Arab and Muslim leaders for his own show of solidarity, and criticized Israel's actions in Gaza and the West Bank.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatari Emir (through interpreter): Israel claims to be a democracy surrounded by enemies, while in reality it is building an occupation and apartheid system hostile to its surroundings and waging a war of extermination, during which it has committed crimes that know no red lines.

Nick Schifrin:

This weekend, President Trump expressed concern about Israel's attack.

Donald Trump, President of the United States: They have to be very, very careful. They have to do something about Hamas, but Qatar has been a great ally to the United States.

Nick Schifrin:

But, today, Netanyahu said he would take the shot again.

Benjamin Netanyahu:

We sent a message to the terrorists. You can run, but you can't hide. Know we will catch you.

Nick Schifrin:

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Nick Schifrin.